The Irish standard., 1887-08-20

lsnguage "W7hat is meant he asked
in pamphlet which had great inf1u-
tnce, 'by firm and steady administra-
ton? Does it mean such an admins
tration as tends TO the increase OF the
nation in populations; its advancement
in agriculture, in manufactures, ia
wealth and prosperity? If that is ILL.,
tended, we have had the experience OF
it these twenty years; for it is uniyer--
sally admitted that 10 country iii the
would has made such rapid advances as
Ireland has done IN these respects. ~
Many similar passages might be aa-
duced, but these will probably be-
deemed sufficient. Of the causes o.
this prosperity, two at least of tile most
important are sufficiently obvious, while
others NAV give rise TO considerable;
dispute The abolition Of the trade re-
strictions. by which Irish prosperity
hati been SO long cramped and stunte!',
was at once followed by great i'll
Gre. Sc in nearly every branch Of COM
merce, and especially i'll the Irish trade
| with the West Indies. while the aboli~~
| tion Of the more oppressive portions Ok
the penal code brought back much capi
tai which had been invested ON the con-
tinents, and caused Irisii wealth, indus.
try and energy to tow freely in Irisi,
channels. a few years of external ana
internal peace, light taxes and good
rat;lred credit followed, and enabled
the country to profit largely by these
new advantages. In the opinion. how
ever. of the best Irish writers and poii-
tic:ans Of the eighteenth century, very
much was also due TO tie great impulse
which was given to agriculture by thss
corn bou1 ties of 1854, and to the large
parliamentary grants for carrying out
public works, and for insituGing and
encouraging different forms Of manu-
facture Of the corn bounties and the
extreme Importance that was alGacheG
to them have already spoken. What
ever may be thought Of them: there lss
at least. think, no question t}2at the
great corn trade which had arisen lla
the last sixteen years Of the century,
was Ill Important element of Irisia
wealth; and it wAS mentioned in Par
li1ment that about thyee 5 cars after Inc
boullties On expectation had t,e8ll
granted the exports Of corn already at-
tsined the annllal value Of 524GO 600
Large grants we're also made for fisher
les, canals, barDors and other public
works, and a system OF bounties for en-
couraging particular manufactures vas
extensively pursued. This system is e.y
ceeding!y alien to modern English
notions; but in judging it we ngust re-
member that it revallsd-thuugh Oh. a
proportjonately smaller scale-jn Eng
land and III most other countries; tnal
i'll ireland it was originally a partial
counter poise OF cOI.) pen satIon for many
unjust and artificial restrictions ila-
posed On the different branches or na~
tive industry, and also that it was pul:-
sued in & country Where the clements
Of spontaneous energy were iiicompar~
ably weaker than in England In my
own opinion. English economical writ
ers have equally generaljzed yDuch too,
eNcJ,sivelA iren the condition. Of Eng
lisli life, and have greatly underrateG2
the part which government must play
III industrial enterprises in countries
where industry is still IN it's infancy,
where capital has not been accumulated
and where Industrial habits have not
been formed. The infancy Of ous
manufacturers and the poverty Of our
people, said Flood, n one Of his
speeches in l7S5, mas forced Us into g.
variety Of bounties aid enoouragements
iii ORDER to give some spring to the
languor Of the nation. The linen
board, the Dublin Society, parliament
tary donations, directly OF indjrectlva
are made us of for this purpose, Oar:
linen, woolen, silk. cotton, glass manu-
features; in a word, almost everything
respecting manufactures Or husbandry
receives some encouragement.n The
writer whom have already referred Cen
as giving the fullest account Of the eeos-
Eomicai condition OF Ireland at this
period observes that 1.-The bountiey on
manufactures from the year 1883 to 17Sa
inclusive, amounted to G115,O00. The
sums granted in aid Of manufactures,
charities and public works in four years
ended in 1888. amounted to e29O O,O57,
besides the annual grants to the trusr-
tees of the linen manufacturers, which,
were greater than before, and to the
Dublin Society, etc." and he expresses
his own opinion that these bounties.
but more especially the bounty on the
expectation of corn. had Operated
powerfully in rescuing Ireland from the
state of poverty into which she had
fallen.' He acknowledges that there
was often much waste. jobbing anR
dishonesty in the way in which they
were applied; but adds that, while the
public grants had considerably in
creased, such isapplicationsh had in the